Why is my car so expensive? Channel 4 documentary
 

C4 Dispatches.

Worth a watch.

In summary, once upon a time there was a pandemic which led to people being told to stay home including those that make cars and their components, this led to availability of a new car a bit harder than normal and then the shortage of parts began forcing people who had wanted a new car to clear the shelves of 18,19 & 20 plate cars, as this was playing out the Mare of London and other councils basically banned perfectly good Euro 5 diesels unless the owner kissed the pinky and paid a daily gratuity, this then forced many to upgrade 5 year old cars so they didn't get charged £70 pw for having the wrong postcode, just as the pandemic was letting up :rolleyes: a man from Roosha started a war with one of it's former colonies where many car parts are manufactured stalling the restart of car production world wide again, don't forget to tune in for the next exciting episode when Taiwan is annexed and the limited amount of chips available has the door firmly closed on it,

Heaven help anyone buying a new car now, not only is the chain broken but the production cycle is also a mess where a worker could fit a component with his,hers,theirs eyes shut they'll be out of the groove and likely to not fit things properly.



Oooh Ginny is presenting it, worth a watch then.

Indeed, currently watching now.

General feeling is that everyone in the whole manufacturing and production process is just trying it on.

Trouble is that it doesn't just apply to car sector, it's virtually every sector.

Fine example for me at the weekend, took the hounds to Southwold beach at 7am to try to avoid the heat, called at high st bakery for sausage roll, that will be £5 please...... my local butcher just 250yrds from where I live has probably better product, at £1.25, price unchanged since last 4-5 years.....

I know I had previously bought said same product around 3 years ago and I'm sure it was about £2 so the arguement of high rents, tourist hot spot etc just do not add up, and I'm damned sure the staff aren't getting the benefit.

i know Southwold is a bit of a tourist gold mine, but it's nearest to me and the hounds love a splash in the sea, but there is no way I'm going to pay a fiver for a sausage roll.

I declined their request for £5, and walked out, perhaps since hitting 55 my shame filter has gone absent.....

If the punters don't buy, then the retailers of whatever product, will consider their position...... hopefully.

Cheers
Steve

Twas a good watch, touched on many points including the write offs which imo is a direct result of the lack of cars, a lot of write offs are financial ones rather than safety ones so not cut n' dried as such, however a few other things to note, any salesman working at a dealer that simply buys in and sells out will be under the illusion that everything they sell is clean, it's company policy but even the company gets caught out, Car Giant I think came out of it really well considering, you can also look up a Facebook an excellent website called Dodgy Cars where someone has taken the effort to list every write off he see's and all you need do is type the reg into Google and if he's listed it it will ping straight up in the results,

The hire car thing is interesting as they buy in volume regularly but have been unable to so have kept older cars themselves that otherwise would be on a forecourt now, notice a lot of 19's with 55k on them, these are the last reliable stock the hire companies had and will the hire companies have the flow in future to actually replenish stock having had their model reduced to nothing during 2 lockies,

@ Steve, you're correct it is increases for the sake of it with a lot of things, certain pubs haven't been slow coming forwards as usual so much so you'd think they were selling unleaded and diesel, I'd have politely said no also and walked, have a look at a "large" Cod in the fish n' chippy it's shrunk somewhat in my experience, here's another P take, gallon of fuel £8.50? pint of beer £4? 8 pints in a gallon means £32 a gallon for beer, process is similar, both are refined by heating them up, both need delivering to outlets and the beer won't do 40+ to the gallon,

Almost forgot, the theft aspect, I know I've been banging on about it but if you have a KESSY car you need an RFID blocker, people have been taking note as I've seen a lot of the online sellers sell out recently.

The cost of beer in a pub makes petrol look a bargain!

We're being had for fools and the only response is to stop buying.

Went there a lot at one time Steve, used to stay on Cautley Road, not any more. The poor local young folks don’t stand a chance of a house. You need this years “ City “ bonus for doing nothing , to buy one !

Ghost town Monday to Thursday, then Audi,Beemer, Merc everywhere for the weekend.

I know it’s not alone in that, it’s such a shame.☹️

That's why I've stopped driving my car and started drinking petrol :teeth_smile::teeth_smile:

I would put forward a strong argument to pursue/query some of these increases when you can:~ car insurance is one.
Example: Riley cover renewed three weeks back-same cost as last year.
The two Volvo cars (Classic Cover) renewal just through for the 20th August.
Premium plus £40 admin fee! reduced to £30-reduced to £10 then to £5:00! after contacting them yesterday.

After speaking to the area Mgr. to complain that the paper work is extremely ambiguous as are other potential costs to the customer- The net result to me is the same premium as last year.

Originally a smallish company now taken over by Aplan-- with what looks like disguised additions being shown as administration charges.
Three cars with them-one for over 30 years- seemingly it counts for nothing.
Fight back when you can.
Bob.

Agreed!🥊

You may be onto something there, 'griston64'.

I too enjoy the occasional pint / glass of wine. The difference is, that that is a discretionary purchase. Unlike fuel, I don't have to buy it, I may choose to buy it as a treat. Like Steve and his sausage roll, I could equally well choose not to.

For most, on the other hand, fuel (in some form or other) is essential if we wish to continue using motorised personal transport. The amount will vary according to mileage, but we all need to buy fuel to a greater or lesser extent.

And beer at £32 per gallon is, relatively, not that expensive. Meeting up with some friends recently on a hot day, I decided to have a cold drink instead of coffee. I ordered a ginger beer, which came in a 275 ml bottle (marginally less than half a pint) which cost £3.25. But, even at >£50 / gallon, I don't begrudge it; my choice - and they did provide a glass and brought it to my table in a pleasant environment for me to drink it.

I've never understood why soft drinks are so expensive, making your pint look cheap and petrol a positive bargain! :regular_smile:

Regards, John.